GWINN, MICHIGAN – For more than two months every year, school children go on summer vacation. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Michigan children who depend on school meals to meet a substantial amount of their daily nutrient needs lack access to a healthy meal. This lack of access to basic nutrition is most pronounced among low-income children, who frequently have no alternative to school meals.
Children in the Gwinn area, however, will have access to nutritious meals all summer, due to the school district’s participation in the Summer Food Service Program. We are one of the few districts that partake in this benefit to our children. “The School Service Food Program is a federally-funded Child Nutrition Program that feeds children during the summer months when the regular school meals program is not available,” said Superintendent of Schools, Stephen L. Piereson. “The program uses meal patterns similar to those used during the school year and in other federal child nutrition programs.”
The SFSP is operated by the Gwinn Area Community School District, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Education. The program is housed this year at the KI Sawyer Community Center, Gwinn High School, and KI Sawyer Elementary School is open to all children, eighteen years of age or younger, community members as well as visiting children. Meals are served from 12:00 – 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning June 16 and ending August 22. No meals will be served on July 4th tentatively.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
For questions regarding this program, please contact Food Service Director, Barbie Ward-Thomas, at (906) 346-0313 (phone) or bward@gwinn.k12.mi.us (email).
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